Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to this important, burning and emotive debate on the lack of cancer services in my constituency. The people of Donegal and the entire north west know better than most the glaring inadequacy of health services under this Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats Government and nowhere more so than where cancer services are concerned. The exposure of the Minister for Health and Children's national plan for radiation oncology as a sham, which cannot be delivered as promised, cut all the deeper in Donegal where cancer patients have suffered from wholesale Government neglect. That plan, for example, which was announced with much fanfare, neglected to include the north west in any meaningful way. If one draws a line between Galway and Dublin, one can see that the Government has made no commitment to provide a radiation unit north of that line.

Cancer patients do not have time. Whether in the context of detection or treatment, time is of the essence when it comes to the impact on patients' quality of life, suffering or survival. Women in Donegal and the north west, in general still await the roll-out of BreastCheck screening services, which are absolutely vital to the early detection and successful treatment of breast cancer. As a result, Donegal women are being denied their best chance to avoid the trauma of radical surgery. By the same token, the absence of a national cervical screening programme, 11 years after it was announced, is denying women all over the country access to screening, which should be their right.

According to the National Cancer Registry, in County Donegal between 1994 and 1999 the annual number of female breast cancer cases was 53, with an annual death rate of 18, that is, one in three. On average, 1,600 new cases of breast cancer are discovered each year and between 1994 and 2000 breast cancer was the most common cause of cancer death in women. Cancer survival in Ireland is close to the European average for the common cancers, with the exception of breast and lung cancer, for which survival is well below the average.

Donegal cancer patients, once they have been given that dreadful diagnosis, are then faced with the absence of radiotherapy services in the north west and they must endure arduous journeys for treatment in other parts of the country. This has led to women in Donegal choosing — if one could call it a choice — traumatic surgery rather than undergo the grind of the travel and the days and weeks away from their homes. According to the Cancer Care Alliance, the uptake of radiotherapy for patients in the north-western area is below the national average which means that many Donegal patients will lose their battle with cancer because of the lack of services in their area.

The Government's solution of sending Donegal patients to Belfast for treatment represents no progress for many cancer patients in the county for whom a journey to Belfast is as long and arduous as a trip to Dublin. It is absolutely vital that we have radiotherapy services in the north west. Fine Gael has committed to the delivery of regional cancer treatment services to those who desperately need them in locations based on population needs and proper long-term planning. It is clear that the north west has the critical mass to justify a radiotherapy centre and the Government's refusal to reconsider a radiation oncology solution for the area is a most hurtful blow to the people of Donegal.

While there have been positive indications regarding the appointment of a permanent breast surgeon in Letterkenny General Hospital, the retention and improvement of cancer services there is an absolute must. There is no doubt that with all the waste of taxpayers' money, the arrogant attitude of those too long in power and the incompetent handling of vital public services, the delivery of health services is the greatest failure of the Government. This is a particularly tragic failure where cancer patients are concerned.

Thanks to the ongoing neglect of the north west, these realities are all the harsher for patients in Donegal. Fine Gael and Labour have combined to put forward new proposals that will make a difference to these patients, including the provision of 2,300 new hospital beds around the country, 1,500 convalescent, rehabilitation and long-stay community beds and 1,500 new consultants. It is only by implementing the policies of the alternative Government, which will increase capacity as well as reforming the way that hospitals and doctors work, that patients can hope to receive appropriate health services.

This is a burning issue in Donegal. We have been ignored by the Government and its predecessor. Prominent Government Members who served as Ministers for Health and Children for many years, such as the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, and the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, all ignored the needs of the north west. People have taken to the streets and are demanding action but we have not yet seen any response from this Government. Commitments have been made from this side of the House by Deputy Twomey when he visited Letterkenny on one of his first missions after being appointed health spokesman but we are still awaiting a commitment from the Government. The patience of the people of Donegal is wearing thin.

See this speech in context